


Learning to Relax

by lilys_bananas_coven



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 104th Training Corps - Freeform, Affection, Cadets, F/F, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Mikasa Ackerman/Sasha Blouse, No Spoilers, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Out of Character, POV Mikasa Ackerman, Potatoes, Roommates, Someone Help Her, Training Camp, mikasa is a bean, mikasa is bad at emotions, sasha gives potatoes to crushes only, sasha is a bean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29380563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilys_bananas_coven/pseuds/lilys_bananas_coven
Summary: Mikasa was confused and needed to relax. Sasha was there to ease her.
Relationships: Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman & Sasha Blouse, Mikasa Ackerman/Sasha Blouse
Comments: 6
Kudos: 77





	Learning to Relax

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm torn between Mikasasha and Mikannie being my favourite ships so I alternate between both :> This is a little dumb thing I thought of like all my other ideas, no spoilers or anything canon related. enjoy! :)

Strong in every way possible to the world as she was, Mikasa was never quite as put together as people thought. Sure, she could take down a dozen titans in minutes if asked of her, and she never doubted a single move out on the battlefield. Her lack of assertiveness showed itself in places where her life wasn’t in any immediate danger.

Assuming Sasha Blouse wasn’t dangerous in any way, of course. Mikasa allowed herself to believe so.

While all skills in cadet training came naturally to Mikasa, Sasha wasn’t always as bright. It appeared that the main thing driving her to do well as a cadet was food, and the better of humanity only came in second. Everyone had their own motivations, she supposed. For the longest time, Mikasa had been living solely to protect and be by Eren’s side. It was only embarrassingly recently, after making friends with the people she knew she’d be spending the most time with for the next years of her life, that she had started to consider more of her own feelings. What with Eren’s impulsiveness and unmatched determination combined, his attempts to train harder than everyone else and stupid fights to prove points had resulted in Mikasa being left alone more often. Armin spent most of his time asking anyone with answers about the anatomy and existence of titans to sate his endless curiosity, so she decided she’d try to leave the two to their own devices. 

It was hard. It always felt like taking her eyes off the two boys for more than a minute at a time would end in her losing them. They were her family now. She felt lost without them.

“Hi, Mikasa!” a cheery voice bloomed into the small room, followed by the sight of its owner.

Mikasa allowed herself a moment to observe Sasha. It was as if the brown in her irises caught and collected light in them. How else would her gaze feel so warm? Her stance was easy and relaxed; Mikasa found that even in combat the girl maintained this and her shots were still precise as could be. She was somewhat aware of her hunting background. Her shoulders weren’t tense like Mikasa’s own always were. Everything about the way Sasha presented herself was so… it was so simple, so easy and effortless. The girl was gorgeous. Mikasa began to understand, the longer she stared at Sasha, that a huge part of her attractiveness stemmed from that effortless way she carried herself. She wasn’t ever trying to prove anything to anyone, and yet everyone could immediately understand that about her. What an astonishing talent.

“Mikasa? Uh… you alright there?” Sasha then spoke again, this time cautiously approaching the girl in question.

“Huh? O-oh. Yes.” As the words left her mouth, the embarrassment of having been caught staring at the latter for so long set in in the form of a pink tint on her cheeks. 

Sasha offered her a smile, along with something else. The nudged softly at Mikasa’s closed fists with something wrapped in a napkin. Mikasa stared curiously at it, allowing it into her hands with another nudge from the other girl. Soft steam emerged once her fingers unwrapped what could only have been a steamed potato from the napkin. Mikasa stared at the food item a little longer before looking back at Sasha questioningly. The hunter laughed nervously at her, a hand reaching up to rub at her nape. Mikasa found that even while she was visibly nervous, her mannerisms still appeared smooth. Everything about her was somewhat endearing, for reasons Mikasa had yet to understand.

“I didn’t see you at dinner just now so I brought you a potato. Sorry, I kinda broke a piece off for myself cuz’ I got hungry on the way back here,” Sasha explained herself, punctuated with another nervous giggle at her confession. 

Mikasa almost felt bad that she was so shocked. She should have known that beyond Sasha’s blatant gluttony, the girl had also always been extremely caring toward her fellow cadets. With a timid nod, Mikasa held on to the warm potato a little tighter, struggling to come up with a way to thank her. It shouldn’t have been hard. She didn’t understand. This was the whole problem- why couldn't she just be normal?

“T-thank you, Sasha,” she finally forced out, unable to look the latter in the eyes.

Sasha laughed, a charming sound, and then plopped down onto her bed with a content sigh. The strength with which her body fell against the mattress could surely fool someone that it was softer than it looked. Mikasa alternated her conflicted gaze between the potato in her hands and the girl who had just given it to her. She was being presented with a chance; a chance to ask Sasha how she did it.

“Sasha?” she started, fingers tightening around the warm vegetable.

“Hmmm?” Sasha hummed, raising her arms behind her head to lie on them. 

“Where do you get your confidence from?”

Sasha’s eyes flew open at Mikasa’s forward question. What? She turned to catch the girl’s eyes, at a loss for what had prompted such a thing of her.

“What do you mean?” asked the hunter, sitting up to get a better view of Mikasa. She reminded herself to keep her eyes off the potato to avoid an unwanted hunger pang.

Mikasa looked smaller than Sasha had ever seen her. All these months, the raven-haired girl had been nothing short of a powerhouse with unparalleled skills and strength. She had made a name for herself from the get go as someone not to be messed with, while more people knew Sasha as ‘Potato girl’ than her actual name. Yet, here Mikasa was, allowing her a glimpse of vulnerability by asking her such a thing. Sasha couldn’t help but feel more respect for the girl because of it, and waited patiently for the latter to gather her thoughts.

“You… you seem very confident. You move and talk like you don’t even have to think about it. I know I’m a better fighter than you but you still make it look easier than I do. How… How do you do that?” 

By the end of Mikasa’s apparent observation of Sasha, her voice was but a whisper. She hadn’t once looked up to face Sasha. Noting this, the hunter knew this talk was taking a lot out of her. Sasha felt for her while considering her words. They didn’t seem much like compliments, but rather the way Mikasa seemed to see her. 

“I don’t really know. I don’t think about stuff like this much. It’s always just been the way I am, I guess?” Sasha ended with a nervous chuckle, well aware of the lack of helpfulness in her response. It was unfortunately all she had at the moment.

Mikasa seemed somewhat satisfied. She nodded thoughtfully and took a small bite out of her potato. Sasha looked away, quickly swallowing her drool. They were silent until Mikasa had swallowed her mouthful.

“Could it come from the amount of food you eat?” the raven-haired then asked.

At the sheer absurdity of the question, Sasha burst into laughter almost immediately, not realising that Mikasa was being partially serious(she was kind of all out of ideas). She struggled to contain it, eyes in crescents while Mikasa patiently waited for her to stop. She couldn’t understand what was funny, but Sasha did have a… a cute laugh. Well, she hadn’t exactly meant for it to be a joke but it was starting to sound more and more like one. When Sasha was able to catch her breath, she cleared her throat awkwardly at Mikasa’s intense stare. 

“I, um, no. I don’t think it works that way, but what do I know?” she chuckled, reaching for her nape again, “that would be pretty cool, though.”

Mikasa’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She shut her eyes and shook her head, frustrated with herself. Why couldn’t she just feel the same ways she felt when fighting that she did when talking to people? It was like she became unsure about everything in moments like these. Sasha frowned at the girl’s visible turmoil, guilty for having laughed.

“Hey, Mikasa? I know this is hard for you. I’m sorry I laughed,” she uttered, searching hopefully for any indication that she wasn’t mad at her. 

“No, it’s okay. It did sound like a joke, in your defense,” Mikasa mumbled in return, eyes downcast. The potato was cold now. 

Their little room was enveloped in silence that wasn’t quite as comfortable as it usually was. Mikasa occupied herself by finishing her potato, taking little bites out of it. Out of nowhere, Sasha lit up like she was a cartoon character, getting out of her bed to sit by Mikasa with a blinding smile on her face.   
“I know how to help you relax, but you have to let me touch your shoulders and not scare me,” Sasha stated, nervousness easily masked by the idea of her grand plan working out.

Mikasa, slightly surprised but not opposed to the sudden intrusion of her personal space, nodded wordlessly. Her cheeks were slightly puffed up from the last bite of potato that she was still chewing. Sasha tried not to squeal; she never really got to see Mikasa looking like this much of a dork, and wanted to commit the sight to memory. She sure had a little crush on the raven-haired girl.

As Mikasa swallowed her last bite, she stiffened at the feeling of Sasha’s hands on her shoulders. The warmth of her skin made it past her thin sleep shirt, causing a warm shiver to run itself down her spine. Her uneasy response to the touch made her realise just how _not_ used to physical affection she was. If Sasha noticed, which she did, she made no comment on it. She only made sure to be gentler, and smiled to herself when she heard Mikasa sigh softly in what could only have been delight. Shoulder massages were kind of her thing. 

“That feels nice,” Mikasa mumbled, turning to jelly under Sasha’s skilled hands on her shoulders. The hunter was getting all the right spots; and again, like she wasn’t even trying.

“Yeah? I’m glad. Your shoulders look tense all the time so this should help. If you ever need another just ask!” Sasha chirped from behind her, strangely enthusiastic. Mikasa mumbled her thanks.

“When you’re hunting, your prey sometimes runs away even if it doesn’t see you. I learned that animals can feel when you’re tense and that’s why. I had to learn how to relax while hunting so we wouldn’t starve at home. My dad would punish me if I couldn’t bring back dinner. I don’t know about confidence, but I think it just became a habit for me to always stay at ease, just so I wouldn’t scare off my prey. I mean, there’s nothing here to hunt, but yeah…” Sasha spoke in gentle tones, trying with all her might to make sense to Mikasa. 

She trailed off with a nervous chuckle, slowing her hands once all the knots in the latter’s muscles were undone. Mikasa sighed again, sounding completely content. Sasha had never heard her in such a way before. She sat back and waited for the girl to turn around and face her, hopeful. The hunter was met with a thoughtful look from Mikasa, silence forming between them once again. It had returned to its comfortable nature this time. 

“I think I understand that. I… admire that about you. I guess I’m just not that kind of person,” Mikasa confessed, looking down.

“Hey,” Sasha called out to her softly, smiling warmly when Mikasa met her eyes once again. 

“You’re great just the way you are, Mikasa. I don’t think being confident is what you should worry about. Once your body can relax, the rest is done for you. So take it easy, okay?” Sasha beamed.

Mikasa felt warmed by Sasha’s presence. Like her eyes, her smile gave off a similar feeling. She nodded, eased by the simple reassurance. Sasha was right, really. She had to relax and she knew it, so perhaps this whole time she had just muddled things up. Sasha, looking satisfied with herself, hopped off Mikasa’s bed to land on her own. That smile never left her face.

“Goodnight, Mikasa,” Sasha mumbled through a yawn. 

“Goodnight, Sasha. Thank you,” Mikasa spoke, softening once she saw that Sasha was already dozing off.

Mikasa fell asleep that night feeling truly comfortable; with her tummy full from a steamed potato, and without the knots in her shoulders for the first time in months. 

It had been a long time since Mikasa really took an interest in getting to know someone again, too.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! thank you for reading hehe, kudos and comments make my day! stay safe and have a good day/night, everyone <3


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